Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup one month away
by Yacht Club Costa Smeralda 12 Aug 2025 03:22 PDT
7-13 September 2025
Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and Rolex IMA Maxi 1 World Championship © ROLEX / Carlo Borlenghi
The countdown is on to the 35th Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, set to kick off on 7 September 2025, with 45 yachts registered to date. Organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) with the support of the International Maxi Association and title sponsor Rolex, the 2025 edition marks a significant milestone.
Forty years ago, in September 1985, the Swiss watchmaker began its longstanding partnership with maxi yacht racing, supporting what would become the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup. Originally held biennially, by 1999 the regatta had evolved into a classic annual event at the YCCS. The relationship between the YCCS and Rolex dates back to 1984 with the Rolex Swan Cup, whose 40th anniversary was celebrated last year.
The programme for the 2025 edition opens with a welcome cocktail on the evening of 7 September, with the first starting signal on the water scheduled for 12 noon on Monday 8 September. Social highlights will include a gala dinner at the YCCS terrace restaurant on 11 September, and a lively crew party in Piazza Azzurra on the evening of 12 September, open to all participants. The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup will conclude with the prize-giving ceremony on Saturday 13 September.
On the racing front, two World Championship titles will be at stake: the Maxi 1 Class World Championship and the Maxi Grand Prix World Championship, which will also include pure racing yachts previously part of the former Maxi72 class. Notable contenders include Peter Harrison and Giovanni Lombardi Stronati, winner and third-place finisher respectively in the Admiral's Cup, both YCCS members. They will compete for the world title in Porto Cervo aboard their Maxi Grand Prix yachts, Jolt and Django 7X. In the Maxi 1 Class, Bullitt, the Wally 93 owned by YCCS Commodore Andrea Recordati, will go head-to-head with other high-performance models such as the ClubSwan 80 My Song and the Wallycento yachts Galateia and Tilakkhana. The latter is owned by Pascale Decaux and will feature a professional crew led by renowned sailor Dee Caffari.
Of the 45 yachts taking part, a standout debut in Porto Cervo will be that of Magic Carpet E, the innovative 100-foot yacht owned by YCCS member Sir Lindsay Owen Jones. Designed by Guillaume Verdier, it boasts unique technological solutions and interiors curated by Hermès. Also in the spotlight will be the trio of Baltic 68 Café Racers: Open Season, Ganesha and Scorpione Hormar, launched this year. Among the long-time loyal participants in the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is YCCS member Vittorio Moretti who will return with the largest yacht in the fleet, his 36-metre Viriella. Italian sailing legend Mauro Pelaschier will be at the helm, with Maddalena Spanu - an athlete from the YCCS Young Azzurra sporting programme and European WingFoil Racing champion - joining the crew for several days to broaden her sailing experience.